


Darkest Desires

by Machillusion



Series: Darkest Desires [2]
Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Age Difference, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Limes, Fluff and Angst, Light Sadism, M/M, dub-con, servitude
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-23
Updated: 2014-04-23
Packaged: 2018-01-20 14:31:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1513943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Machillusion/pseuds/Machillusion
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I don't mind abiding by your wishes," Reborn drawled, causing a shiver of fear to run down Tsuna's thin spine. "But I have a request of my own." The boy swallowed.</p><p>"What is it?"</p><p>"If I fulfill your every command, you must fulfill a certain desire of mine..."<br/>As far back as he could remember, Tsuna was always bullied by his classmates. Throwing his desk out a window, writing hateful comments on his papers, ripping up his homework, all of those things constituted in his daily life. It only got worse as he got older. Maybe it was around this time when he heard from one of his classmates about a certain site. On this site, if you gave them your personal information and a reason for visiting, one of the seven would attend to whatever it is that you needed. Tsuna thought this was the perfect solution to his bullying. But the grass isn't always greener on the other side.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Cost of Freedom

**Author's Note:**

> A/R: I'm sure some of you recognize my username. Yes, I am the one who created, "Permanent Error". I know I should be focusing on that series instead of this one, but I was so pissed today, I had to make this story. (Well, I didn't have to, but I felt strongly impressed to.) There was a certain book I wanted, and for me, books, education, and fanfiction are the top of my list. Well, I had waited five months for this book. It wasn't like it wasn't out yet or something, but my parents were busy, and I really didn't feel bothered with getting a driver's license, so I couldn't drive myself. (That was stupid.) Short version: I couldn't get it.
> 
> I decided that if I couldn't read the book, I would make something similar to it. Well, although it is not like it at all, the preference is similar. I thought Reborn would be a perfect character for the second part, and Tsuna for the first part. With that...
> 
> Warnings: language  
> Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn! The idea in which this originates from is Maya Banks. Yep. Now I won't be sued...

**Darkest Desires**

Tsuna only sighed helplessly as he came face to face with the gigantic building that was maybe one-hundred times his size. And what lied inside reduced him down to a simple ant that was afraid of getting crushed or eaten.

The boy almost shuddered; that description was so accurate, it wasn't funny.

But still, he had to go in sometime. If he didn't show up to school, the principal would definitely call home. If he did, his mother would call him, and he'd probably come home to a lecture.

Though thinking about it, a lecture was actually better than getting bullied non-stop. So turning back, he began to walk the streets, hearing the hum of silence fill his ears like the pipe water that his classmates sometimes dunked his head into.

But two things stopped him.

One: there was a police officer _right in front_ of him. The police officers in Namimori Town were known to penalize students harshly if they skipped.

Two: His gym teacher was standing a ways from the gate, but his eyes were trained right on Tsuna.

Between these two threats, he quickly weighed his options. Should he try to side-step the professional worker and his teacher, or should he surrender quietly and await his doom, which was sure to happen?

If he side-stepped the police officer to the left or right, with the pace he moved at, Tsuna was sure to get caught. But if he tried to run pass the gym teacher, he would only pull Tsuna by him arm and jerk him back.

"I have no choice," he mumbled as he turned back to the now terrifying gate. Now that he knew that there was no way out, the once gigantic yet harmless gate turned into a horrifying, bone-chilling gate that promised nothing but pain and suffering.

He walked slowly beyond the gates, watching as the other students hurried in groups of fives and tens, laughing happily. Not one of the seemed to pay attention to the brunette, but he knew that one of those groups were laughing at _him_. It wasn't just paranoia; he knew it from experience. They would wait until he was close, and then they would start talking about him like some celebrity.

But Sawada Tsunayoshi was no celebrity. He was a fourteen year old boy who was bullied most of his life.

It proved to be true when passing by, he heard his most familiar-yet most hated nickname-name being uttered from one of the students.

"Look, it's No-Good Tsuna." More laughing was heard.

"I thought he skipped or something."

"He should. We won't have to see his face anymore."

And then, as if all on cue, every group of five and ten started to laugh. And Tsuna could do nothing more then run past them, to try and fight the crimson color that threatened to take over his face.

He quickly slipped on his other pair of shoes-thank god there were no nails in them this time-and proceeded to open up his locker when-

_Bzzz!_

"Gah!" Tsuna jumped back in pain and shock as he registered what just happened. A bee was stabbed to his locker with a pin, and it's stinger pointed directly at him. He only watched as the bumble bee tried to struggle its way from the pin, but the pin only dug itself deeper into the body of the bug.

And then all too soon, the bee stopped moving.

Tsuna could only watch in horror as the bug twitched like a roach as its life started to fade away like the blood drops on his clothes. He never liked seeing life die...it pained him, because he knew that once a life was taken away, and it popped out of existence, it never came back. No amount of "I'm sorry" or "Please come back to me" will ever make whatever died come back.

But he knew. This was another plot of his classmates.

So ignoring the dead bug with a heavy heart, he opened his locker and inserted his shoes inside.

Good. Nothing strange there.

He then proceeded to walk to his classroom. Although all of those students were out of there, he knew that classes started soon. Even if everyone else was late, he could not be late. The teachers wouldn't punish them, they would punish _him_.

Why, you ask? Because he was the outcast. The teachers don't blame the hundreds of students, they blame Tsuna for not fitting in.

That's messed up. But he is used to it by now. But just because he's used to it doesn't mean he'll like it.

He opened the somewhat empty classroom; a strange student with silver hair and turquoise eyes sat in the very back, his legs kicked up, and a shy girl with another school's uniform on sat in the front, quietly reading a book. Tsuna didn't even notice she was there until he heard the faint sound of a page turning.

Looking around the classroom, he searched for his desk. There were twenty-nine students in the class, including himself, and there were...twenty-eight desks?

The boy groaned. Not again.

"They took your desk to the gymnasium," the silver-haired boy muttered in the back. Tsuna's wide eyes darted to him.

"Really?"

"What would I profit from lying," he snapped. "And with a dumb fuck like you?"

The boy only shrunk back at his classmate's tone. He didn't mean to rile him up, but he had to be cautious. For all of his life, he has been deceived, and then brutally hurt or played with. Didn't he understand that?

...

Of course not. He doesn't care. But then, if he didn't care, why would he always tell him when his classmates did this?

Oh yes, this isn't the first time this particular student told of this. In fact, every single time this happened, he would tell him immediately, so most times Tsuna wasn't late for class. But even though he helped him out almost every single time, the doubt that was in Tsuna's heart never vanished.

But in this one occasion (more like every occasion), Tsuna trusted him and thanked him.

"Thank you so much, Gokudera-kun." The silver-haired boy known as Gokudera only snorted, and leaned his head back against the wall. He watched as Tsuna briskly ran out of the classroom, and almost wanted to chase after him, but his pride wouldn't let him.

Irritated at the cowardice of himself, he clicked his tongue and turned his head away from the retreating brunette.

* * *

Later, when Tsuna retrieved his desk and chair from the gym, returned back to class and was heading home, he heard his classmates talking. For once, and thank god for that, it wasn't about him, but about something different.

Something about a site.

"It's a new thing nowadays," one of the girls in the group of five said, flicking back her blond hair. "Apparently there are seven rich and important people, and as a part of a money-maker for...the Arcobalerno Organization or some dumb shit like that...anyways, you go on their site, and on the main page they ask you for your personal information and why you are there. If you put an answer that they like, they will come to your house and follow any order you give them, under the proviso that you pay them 10,000 yen* every two days, and that you answer their 'wish'. I thought it was fake until my cousin did it and she got this handsome dude who used to be a lieutenant for the military."

Another girl gasped. "Maybe I should try it."

"Do it! Though, there is is down-side to it." The other girls leaned in, waiting to hear the rest of the gossip. Tsuna wasn't usually one for gossip, but this time...and this time alone, he would listen.

If it would stop the back-stabbers, the ruining of the desks, the _kidnapping_ of desks, the pranks, and most importantly, the isolation, he would do it in a heartbeat.

"There are very few people who got one of the seven, which is what makes this whole thing so special. Even if you offer them money, they'll take the money and leave you hanging."

"Isn't that illegal? It's almost like stealing, right?"

"Not in their book. In their book, you had knowledge that there was a money transaction, so they aren't liable." The girls continued to hem and haw, but Tsuna turned back to his backpack, continuing to collect and neatly put away his items.

Before, it sounded okay. Before, he wouldn't have minded doing it. Now, he thought that whole deal sounded shady. If you go on their site, put in personal information and a reason for coming, they may or may not serve you. In addition to that, you have to pay an astronomical fee _and_ listen to _their_ wishes? What if their wish was to kill a thousand men? You would be in trouble for that, not them.

He got up and walked out the door, and no one payed attention to him. That was to be expected. But this time, unlike every other time, he didn't care. He had an escape before him-a risky one, but an escape nevertheless-and it stayed on his mind so heavily that he didn't think of anything else.

He could go on this site, put up his personal information and his reason, and pray to any deity above the heavens that one of them would have sympathy on him and help him. Or, he could just leave it alone and save himself...because honestly, even if he had gotten a so-called special person of the seven, he could deny them of their wish and the result would be the same. They wouldn't help him.

The more he thought about it, the more stupid it sounded.

But he didn't rule it out. He was desperate enough that if push came to shove, he would probably go on the site anyways and let what happen happen. But push isn't quite up to shove yet, and Tsuna was still hesitant.

After all, if anything happened to him, his mother would be all alone. Her husband, Tsuna's father, never came home, and when he did, he was drunk. He couldn't depend on his father, and really...they had no other family to depend on.

Tsuna sighed tiredly, rubbing a slender hand over his temples.

_Was possibly sacrificing family the cost of his freedom?_

If it was, then maybe he should just discard this useless idea of escape that his classmates unknowingly gave to him, and stay in the bondage of his sadness and pain forever.


	2. He's Weak

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own.

As soon as Tsuna left the classroom and he was down the hall, he knew there were two things he did terribly wrong.

One: he left early. _Early._

Now that doesn't seem like a big deal. So what? Tsuna left early. He could meet his mother from her tiresome job, help her around the house, meet up with his best friend and 'brother' Dino, and he could avoid fights and arguments like the ones he had today. Right?

Wrong.

Leaving early was possibly the _worst_ thing he could have ever done. Leaving early meant groups of students with after-school programs will be there, laughing and wondering why 'No-good Tsuna' is showing face instead of leaving after everyone was gone. Leaving early ensured humiliation. Leaving early meant getting his money stolen.

And leaving early meant getting beat up.

Tsuna considered going back to the classroom, but he was already at the head of the steps leading to the door outside. If he turned around now, he would have to face everyone in the hallways, who would give him some sort of insult or another.

That was the second thing Tsuna should have never done. He should have never lingered around the hallways. He should have walked straight on out and taken whatever came. But now that he stopped...now that he helplessly and desperately looked down the hallway to his class, students started to come.

Jeering. Teasing. Insulting. Whispering. Stabbing.

At Tsuna.

He heard the whispers of "Look, it's that No-good Tsuna again. Shouldn't he be hiding under a desk or something?" and the stabs students who passed by innocently did with the tips of their sharp pencils.

Damn it, he wasn't some dartboard for peoples' amusement. He was a _living_ , breathing, bonafide human with red blood cells like everyone else!

...So why was it that he only received this treatment?

Because he was weak. He was mentally-weak and physically weak. There was nothing that could protect him from his classmates. He could only run down the fifty or so stairs to his locker and open it up to reveal-

_Frumg!_

"Ngh!"

...a family of thumbtacks, accompanied by the occasional tape balls scattered on the top and bottom.

The boy bit his tongue in pain, trying desperately to block out the triumphant laughs that surrounded him. He shakily pulled out the thumbtack from his finger, watching as the pulp of blood on his finger expanded until it slowly walked down. Taking his outside shoes with the other hand, he slammed his locker shut, fumbled with his other shoes, and ran out of the door. He could always clean his locker early the next day.

Tsuna ran out of the school building, his finger still pulsating from the loss of blood, and started to leave the premises of the school when someone called out to him.

Of rather, _they_ called out to him.

"No-good Tsuna!" At first, Tsuna stopped cold. He feared what happened if he didn't, and who wouldn't? But it was that fear that ultimately drew him to start jogging at a slow pace.

"Hey!" It was then that Tsuna could hear feet pattering after him, and he desperately tried to run faster. But Tsuna didn't earn "No-good" for nothing. He ran as fast as a turtle, if you could imagine that.

Within seconds, his seniors caught up to him, and while he was exhausted, they didn't even break a sweat.

Damn it, this was bad. He knew he was at a disadvantage; he couldn't do anything even if he wanted to. He only took in heaps of breath as the students surrounded him, a sneer present on their faces.

"No-good Tsuna," one of them hissed as he cracked his knuckles, "I thought we got you good last time. Why are you back in school again?"

"And with no wounds, no less," another added in.

Tsuna could feel himself caving into his shell; he was in deep shit, real shit, and had no way out. He could feel the sharp jabs of pain as one of the students kicked him in the side, all while saying, "Do something, will ya?!" But he couldn't do anything; what did they expect him to do? Fight back? Spit at them? Glare at them? Or put on a show for them?

It didn't matter what they wanted him to do; the fact was, he couldn't _do_ anything.

He could only lay there as they punched him, kicked him, whacked him, and did everything that _he_ wanted to do to _them_.

Because he was weak.

He sighed in relief as they departed. They were satisfied in beating him up, and as long as they didn't come back for a while, he didn't care.

Yes. That was how cowardly he was. He would rather run or get beaten up than to fight back.

At this point, he trudged on home, limping a bit from the pain. This was bad, but it could have been worse. Tsuna _did_ break an arm once.

He didn't care so much that he got beaten up; this was normal, after all. What he was worried about was how to explain these cuts to his mom and Dino, who was sure to come to his house today.

* * *

Tsuna neared his house in a matter of seconds after coming from school. The one good thing about when he got beaten up and he had to walk home was that his house was nearby. He didn't have to trudge on and on and hope that he didn't pass out by the time he got home.

Because damn, those wounds on his arms hurt.

He opened the door to his house, half-hoping that Dino was in the kitchen or something with his mom. Unfortunately, there was no such luck.

"Tsuna," he said in a form or greeting as he fingered the boy's hair, "how are you?"

The boy could almost feel the fear crawl up his throat. Quickly, he shoved it down with a small smile.

"I-I'm fine," he replied as he quickly side-stepped away from him.

Go to the bedroom, go to the bedroom...

"You okay?" Again, Dino tried to approach him and again, Tsuna moved away. If he could help it, Tsuna would put bandages (that would fall off later) on his arms and soothe his legs with ice packs and petroleum jelly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," the boy replied again as he got closer to the stairs leading into his room.

"I just need some rest." If possible, he didn't want Dino to know what happened today. The last time Dino got wind that Tsuna was being bullied at school...well, let's just say that the students didn't bother Tsuna again for quite some time. That wouldn't be so bad, but then after they got over the shock, it got even worse.

He didn't want a repeat of that.

"Is that so? Well, I had brought a friend over because your mother isn't in today and since you don't have school tomorrow, I thought we could hang out a bit."

At the word "friend", Tsuna perked up a bit. Most of Dino's friends tended to be really nice, and they usually included him in everything. When he was upset, they seemed to know just what to do, and they didn't over react like Dino sometimes did. But that's not the point. If they were there, he didn't have to be scared all of the time. He could be himself, just like he was with Dino. And Tsuna liked that. A lot.

"But if you don't want to go, I can canc-"

"No, I'll go," Tsuna replied hurriedly. "How soon are we leaving?"

"I wanted to leave as soon as you got ready."

"Then I'll get ready then. Give me ten minutes," he called out as he jogged up the stairs, feeling spikes of pain escalate up and down his legs as he did. His train of thought immediately went to the site that his classmates were talking about earlier, but he quickly pushed it out of his head. He had no reason to make a sacrifice like that. He wasn't that desperate, not yet.

Tsuna walked into his room without a care in the world, gathering a set of clothes that he took into the shower. As he closed the door and turned the knob so that a blast of hot water came out, he idly looked at the bruises on his arms, legs, and surprisingly, his stomach.

"They look worse then I thought," he murmured as he pressed on one of the bruises lightly with his finger. It was almost like Godzilla grew a thing for humans and ate at the insides of their bodies, leaving only the outside swelling and purple. And if that sounds disgusting, that's exactly what it looks like.

The boy washed himself (minding the cuts and bruises), tended to his wounds, changed his clothes, and headed downstairs. Dino was waiting for him with a patient expression, and pointed to his friend.

"That's my friend." The person wore a black suit and a yellow shirt, along with a black tie. A fedora sat neatly on his head, and two sideburns hugged the sides of his face. The first thing Tsuna thought about this person (besides how weird he was to wear a fedora inside of a house) was how cool he was. Confidence oozed from his very being. That kind of thing was something Tsuna could only _dream_ of.

Said man turned to him, and after eying him carefully, flicked his fedora upwards and held out his hand.

"Chaos," he said as a greeting. "I'm Reborn."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/R: Thank you to everyone who favored, followed and reviewed! I will probably update this week, and then not again until next month. This has also become my primary story; Permanent Error is now on hiatus until I can get the giddy-up with that story.
> 
> Please, if you liked the story, please give some feedback! I am very happy with this story (it is sooo much fun to write), but if you guys aren't having fun, then what sense does it make for me to make this?
> 
> Edit: I made a few mistakes. Just fixin' them...  
> *dig dig*


	3. Paranoia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I was telling someone, slash is going to come soon. Very soon. And when it comes, it will be dark. I am warning you in advance, so when it does come, I won't have complaints of "What the hell is this, you sick-" and things of that nature. Granted, it is a few chapters from now, but it is still near. So yeah.
> 
> Last thing! This chapter doesn't get any close to the main point, but it does give a little background on Reborn, and what he is like. It also gives a bit of insight about Tsuna.
> 
> Warnings: language, rocky chapter (sorry...if you don't know it, I'm BAD at transitioning...)

"We need to stop by a few places." Thankfully, after the man called Reborn introduced himself, they immediately were picked up by Romario, another one of Dino's friends. He is really more of an associate of Dino's, since they do work together, but they are together so often that it's kind of hard to call them that.

"Eh? Where?"

"I need to go home first. Then we have to go to the airport to pick up Reborn's friend-ah, associate," Dino rephrased as he glanced at Reborn's slightly scowling face. Seeing that they were going to the airport, Tsuna asked quizzically,

"Where did he come form?"

"China," Reborn immediately answered, touching one of his sideburns before staring outside the window. "He had some business to do, but now that it's over, he is returning back here."

"Oh."

After that, Tsuna remained quiet. Unlike everyone else whom he has met, Reborn put him at edge. Was he really a friend of Dino's? It was kind of hard to see these two hanging out on a regular basis. Besides, Reborn seemed more like a co-worker then really a friend.

But just because he was quiet didn't mean the trip to Dino's house was.

Reborn started to question Tsuna like crazy, almost treating him like he was a prisoner then really a friend of Dino's. And for some reason, that nerved him more then the attitude of the man himself.

"Tell me about yourself." He stared at Tsuna with a roaring passion, almost like an old lion that was ready to attack. But unlike an old lion, Tsuna wasn't sure if the older man had more bark then bite.

"I...I am Tsunayoshi Sawada, but everyone calls me Tsuna," he began, scratching at his head nervously. "I am fourteen years old, and my birthday is October 14."

"I don't mean like that," the older man cut in, flicking his fedora almost irritably, "I mean _you_. I don't mean _about_ you. Is that so hard to understand?"

Okay, that was rude. And uncalled for. It wasn't like Tsuna was a mind-reader, where he could tell the difference of what he meant and what he said. If he could, he would have said something to Reborn's liking, not something to irritate him.

But again, Tsuna could feel the confidence oozing from the man, and somehow, it seemed to drain the confidence from himself...well, the little confidence that there was.

Instead of fighting what the man was saying-which, was the most logical and most appropriate thing to do-he instead cowered back and started to appease the man.

"I...don't know exactly what you want me to say," he mumbled. This was the exact opposite of what he thought would happen. He thought that Reborn would be nice, would encourage him like the rest, and maybe he could become best friends with the man like how he was with Basil, who was away in Italy right now.

But it's not like that. Right now, he's being challenged. And right now, he would have preferred to have stayed at home, to curl in the dark by himself and maybe read a good book or watch a good movie.

...Not to be chastised by this man whom he had an unnatural respect for. And yes, it was _unnatural_. Who still respected a man that treated you like shit? Normal people wouldn't. But its because Reborn had confidence poring out of every tiny, microscopic pore that Tsuna respected him. He didn't like him, per se, but he did look up to him. He wanted what Reborn had. Confidence. Reassurance. _Power_.

"Tell me what you like, what you dislike, how you _feel_ ," Reborn clarified. His expression softened a bit (for some reason that Tsuna nor Dino could understand), and he tapped his finger against the stainless glass. Well, it wasn't stainless no more, because his fingerprint was on it. But it was slight, and unless you looked for the print, you would not find it.

"Isn't that about me?" Really, Tsuna couldn't tell the difference. But Reborn could, and was willing to tell him that he could.

"No. When I say about you, that means the cold, hard facts," he explained quickly. "Your name, age, sex, birth date, status in school, those kind of things are _about_ you. When I say to talk about _you_ , I mean the things you like, the things you hate, what you feel like when you are in a new environment-" *****

"What does that last bit have to do with anything?"

"You ask a lot of questions, Tsuna," the older man grounded out as he flicked his fedora up for the umpteenth time as he momentarily glimpsed at the scenery besides him. The brunette cocked his head to the side slightly, still observing the man even as the car slowed to a crawl.

"Should I not?" The older man didn't say anything; he simply watched as Dino quietly departed from them; he unlocked the door to his house and briskly walked in, not pausing even a second to see if he had any mail or information from his job.

When he finally did look back at Tsuna, he only said:

"Tell me about yourself." This time, Tsuna searched for an answer in the back of his head that Reborn would like. For Dino's other friends, he didn't have to win them over; they just naturally liked him. But Reborn wasn't like that. He was calm, cool, collected, and calculated. He always thought twice before saying his mind, and his eyes revealed nothing but confidence. If Tsuna could somehow win over this man into being his friend, they could keep in contact like the rest of Dino's friends, and who knows; maybe he could help Tsuna out with his school problems.

"I...I don't like school, since I'm terrible at it. They call me No-good Tsuna-"

"Who calls you that?"

"My classmates." Seeing the blank look on the brunette's handsome face, Tsuna continued. "One of my classmates named Gokudera helps me out a lot." The boy bit his lip, trying to think of some more things that would entertain the man. To which, why did he want to know anyways? What, did he think that Tsuna was a bad person, and is judging him by what he likes and hates? Because that's the only conclusion Tsuna could come up with. And it wasn't like Reborn would give a reason, either. He didn't know this man (he only met him an hour ago, for Pete sake), but he could tell that the man held a pattern.

What pattern? The pattern of keeping everything a secret.

Stupid, right? Weird, right? That's what Tsuna thought as he observed this man's behavior. There was nothing to keep a secret; there was nothing to hide, so why was he doing so?

"I, um, usually like new places. I can make new memories, and the more memories, the better. I like meeting new people, because I can have more friends to stay with." He tried to smile reassuringly (mostly to get on Reborn's good side), but he wasn't sure if he succeeded. Reborn's face did stay the same, after all. Was it that he still didn't trust him? Why not? Tsuna tried to be friendly enough.

But apparently it wasn't doing him a hill-a-beans if Reborn could just stare at him like that.

"So tell me what else you like, Tsuna." By the time he said this, Dino came back quietly with a black plastic bag in one hand, and a suitcase in the other hand. He glanced at them, saw they were still talking...well, more like Reborn asking questions, and Tsuna answering them one by one. He knew that Reborn would have gotten _really_ mad if he interrupted this...process of sorts, so he quietly opened his door with a pinky, closed it, and issued Romario to drive.

"I like...my mom, I like the foods she makes, I like Dino-" He turned to the older blonde to see if he would say anything. But when he only smiled, he continued, "I like Basil, and I like every one of Dino-san's ****** friends. I...don't really have a lot I like."

The hitman hummed in response as he used his arm as a leverage to support himself against the glass.

"So you don't like video games? Or books? Or sports? Or girls?"

"Oh, I don't mind video games. But I wouldn't go out of my way to buy one. I like books, but they're complicated sometimes, and anytime someone sees me with a book, they usually take it away-"

"Why?"

"I'm too stupid to read," the boy whispered, hoping Dino didn't hear him. But Reborn didn't buy it, and instead directed to Dino:

"You knew about this?"

"After I went to his school a while back, I thought that stopped," Dino explained, shooting a accusing look at Tsuna, who felt like withering inside. See, that was why Tsuna didn't want to tell Dino. And then Reborn just _had_ to say something. He wasn't sure if Reborn did it to help him, hurt him, or just to see what would happen. (If it were the last, Tsuna decided, then Reborn would be a bigger ass than he thought.)

But now, Dino was about to pull the, "Let's Play the 1,000 Questions Game," and Tsuna reaaallly didn't want that. He also didn't want to save his students from a world of hell that his friend was sure to deliver. So he hurriedly told them,

"It's better now, I just don't like books as much." He hoped that would satisfy them, and it kind of did. Well, for Dino, anyways. He assured Tsuna with a soft smile that he would be free to take any book from his library. Reborn, on the other hand, simply watched him with a calculative eye, and Tsuna wondered if this was all some sort of...test he had to pass.

"I have never been good at sports," Tsuna continued nervously as they neared the airport. "So I really never liked them."

Dino laughed as he glanced out the window to search for Reborn's associate. "You're just clumsy, Tsuna. But you're not bad at what you do. Ah, there he is. Romario, can you stop the car?" Again, the car slowed down to a crawl as they parked on the side of the station. Dino unbuckled his seat belt, and came out the car to greet the man.

When Dino approached the man, Tsuna watched to see what would happen. If he was like Reborn, then this trip would be a _living hell_.

Said man was different from Tsuna's imagination. He wasn't evil-looking, secretive, buff, or even cold. (This is all due to his first meeting with Reborn that he thinks this.) The man had a soft and warm presence about him, one that Tsuna really liked. He could tell by the way he associated with Dino that he was not a bad person. He wore a red, slanted shirt, and an accompanying pants. By the design, the boy assumed it was some sort of uniform the man was required to wear. He had a long braid that flowed his back, and had soft, dahlia eyes. He looked like one who could be calm at all times, and again, Tsuna felt his heart go out to someone. Again, Tsuna felt respect rise up from his stomach like bile, and pour out onto the ground. That man had something that he wanted. _Badly_.

As he came towards the car, Tsuna unconsciously moved to the next seat, fully intending to give room to the new person.

"Just because he is coming doesn't mean you stop," Reborn muttered to the boy as he also moved along with him. He knew if he didn't move then, then Fong would have kindly asked him to move in that _voice_ of his. No, might as well save the trouble.

"Um..I don't have any girls I like-"

"Not even Sasagawa Kyoko?" Tsuna almost took a double take. He didn't tell anyone about that, even Basil, so how did this guy know this?

For a second, Tsuna considered lying to him, but he didn't know what the man's response would be. He wasn't the type to lash out, it seemed, but for the most part, Tsuna didn't know him. So swallowing his pride, he confessed.

"I...have feelings for her." It was almost as if Reborn was waiting for that response, because he smirked as he opened the door for his associate. He didn't seem to be mad; if anything, he seemed highly amused. But he didn't say anything else other than two simple words.

"I see." With that, Reborn sat back, satisfied, and Tsuna was so glad the session was over. He was able to introduce himself happily to the new man (who he later found out his name was Fong), and enjoy the rest of his day.

But...as soon as Fong came, something seemed off. And Tsuna wasn't sure what it was. He wasn't sure why he felt this way, but the boy almost felt like it was...lighter when it was just Reborn, Dino and him.

As he glanced at Reborn and Fong, who seemed to be keen on not talking to one another, he felt a wave pass over him.

What _was_ this?

* * *

It got later on in the day, and eventually Dino had to drop Tsuna home. After all, he couldn't leave his mother all by herself. But during their little adventure, Tsuna learned a lot of things about Reborn and Fong. The two had a 'side job' besides their normal one. That is where they met, and where they work together. As for what this job is, Tsuna didn't know, and from the looks of it, he wouldn't know, either. Bummer. It seemed everything around Reborn was shrouded in mystery.

"Thank you for today, Dino-san." The blonde smiled as he backed away from the Sawada entrance. For pretty much the whole of the trip, Dino didn't say much on Reborn's request. The reason why he didn't say anything to Tsuna was because Reborn wanted to see what Tsuna was like for himself, without anyone giving him artificial comfort or support. Reborn wanted to see if he could trust the boy with Dino, and vise versa. He wanted to see if he posed as a threat, or as a negative influence. He wanted to see if he would be nice one moment, and hurt someone the next.

And Dino allowed him to test Tsuna, because he knew Tsuna would do well. Tsuna, despite his horrible low self-esteem, was very, very observant. With observation comes wise choices. Dino could see that in the kid from a while back. And maybe, just maybe, Tsuna could soften Reborn's diamond soul, and give him a bit of texture.

He would definitely bring Reborn over here again.

"I'll come a few more times before the month is over. And you know that you can come over my house, yes?" The younger boy shook his head enthusiastically. Every time he went over to Dino's house, he always got to meet his co-workers and friends. His close friends used to be a rival company. Ironic, right? They were an independent informational service company called VARIA, but then expanded and then merged with Dino's company. Tsuna still can't believe his eyes when he sees one of them hanging out in Dino's house, or rummaging in his fridge like he owns the place.

"Of course!"

"I will probably come back one more time this week to see how you are. Oh. And Tsuna?" The boy cocked his head, waiting for Dino to say something. The older man was hesitant, so he nudged him on lightly.

"Yes?" Finally Dino said something, albeit very softly. He looked like he was guilty for some reason, and it kind of put a bad feeling in the boy's gut.

"Sorry for today...I wasn't able to be there for you some times..."

"Oh no! It was a lot of fun," Tsuna interrupted, already seeing where the conversation was headed. "Although Reborn was a bit cold when we first met, he seems alright." Alright, if you could ignore the fact that he pretty much didn't say anything to Tsuna after that questioning in the car. What, did he hate him or something?

"Is...is he like that with everyone?"

"Pretty much," Dino sighed, shooting a look at the man in his car, smoking a cancer stick. "That's why I want to bring him over more. I talked about you a lot, and so I guess he became a little annoyed and wanted to see you for himself, probably to get it out of the way."

"Then why do you want to bring him over more?"

"If he comes more, he'll get used to you. Then we can definitely hang out more! You can come to Reborn's second job and meet Luce and the others-"

At that moment, a gun shot fired in the air. A gun shot. A _gun shot_. Tsuna almost jumped halfway to the moon hearing that. No one fires a gun in Namimori. It's just...not heard of. This town was a mostly peaceful one, not counting the tiny things here and there. So to hear a gun fire off...was scary. The boy nervously glanced around to see where it came from, only to see Reborn holding up a green gun in the air.

"Dino."

"I guess that's my cue to go," the blond said almost sheepishly. "See you around, Tsuna."

"Oh...Bye, Dino-san..." By the time he finished his sentence, the car was already half-way down the block. Still shook from the gun shot, the teenage boy shrugged his shoulders shakily and retreated inside the house.

Reborn was a fearful and confident man, indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/R: Thanks again for everyone's support! I know this chapter is a bit rocky, but its a transition. From here on out, juicy things will happen! Like steak!
> 
> Laugh, will ya?
> 
> *Reborn is trying to say without saying it that one can figure out hints of a personality and boundaries of a person depending on how they take to a new atmosphere. As someone once said, it is not those who are the strongest or the the smartest who live on, it is those who can adapt with on their environment (Natural Selection - Survival of The Fittest)
> 
> **I am not a native speaker to Japanese. But I do know that English Grammar should not coincide with Japanese honorifics. Therefore, I think it is weird to add an apostrophe to '-san'. But I had no choice!~ Tsuna always calls Dino "Dino-san"! I felt like it would be OOC if I didn't add it. If anyone knows a better way of going at it, please tell me. I want to know...


	4. Revenge and A Little Sick Game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own. From now on, please refer back to the last chapter. I will not put this up again.

Saturday tapped on Tsuna's shoulder, glanced at him, and kept on going.

 _Sunday,_ on the other hand, found it funny to take Tsuna's hand, pull it, and hear the delicious-sounding screams that would come out the boy's mouth.

At seven in the morning, Tsuna decided to clean up his lockers of the thumbtacks and tape balls his classmates so graciously left there for him. He was glad that he wounds managed to heal in a day, or he would have used today to have rested, and tomorrow morning he would have had to clean up the mess. Otherwise, he would have to use his locker with the knowledge that thumbtacks could neatly place themselves on the top, bottom, sides and insides of his shoes.

He might as well get it out of the way, now.

The freshman sighed as he neared the school gates, once again feeling the apprehension of inferiority slither its way into his heart. But seeing that no one was there, Tsuna pushed down the horrid feeling and proceeded to walk inside of the building. It was quiet enough that you could hear a pin drop, but at the same time, Tsuna felt an ominous aura over his head. He knew, with certainty, that something bad was going to happen. What this bad thing was, however, he didn't know.

He opened his locker, meeting everything the way it was, and with a grimace, started to swipe everything out into a white plastic bag that he brought from home. He heard all of thumbtacks clutter into the bag, and with a distinct slam, he closed his locker, and placed the heavy bolt lock that Basil gave him in the hole of his locker. He clicked it into place, and with a satisfied look, started back out of the school. But something caught his eye.

A drop of blood. No, a _trail_ of blood.

The boy gasped. "Since when...?" Ignoring his previous feelings at the time, he started towards the blood, generally worried for what might have happened to this person. But then he stopped. This could be a ploy from his classmates, a trap. Why should he go? But at the same time...what if someone was really hurt? Could he be so heartless as to ignore it?

"I can jump out the window if I need to," the brunette murmured quietly, almost as if to assure himself. He followed the trail of blood to his classroom, where he saw familiar silver hair and at least twenty two of his classmates there. The desks were pushed back to the far corners of the room along with the chairs, and the silver-headed boy was fighting ten of the classmates at one time, watching out for the two that kept on trying to shoot him from the other side of the room with a BB gun.

The freshman gasped softly in shock. Weren't BB guns banned from students two years ago? How is it that that boy has one?

But that question was trivial compared to the fact that Gokudera was slowly wearing down. It seems that he has been fighting for a while. Tsuna took in the ripped-up jeans, the crumpled shirt with splattered blood, and the sweat dripping from his long hair. It was only a matter of time that the boy would just give up, and let them do what they pleased.

But it wasn't that time yet.

When Gokudera knocked out one, another would wake up, almost as if there was a timer planted inside their heads. He watched as the boy punched and kicked like his life depended on it, and once one student was down, he adjusted the necklace that was on his wrist a bit. The moment that he did that, the necklace started to change form silver to a black and yellow pattern. Still, he continued to beat up students, watching them fall down one by one.

"Won't this end," he muttered miserably under his breath as another student woke up and began to throw horribly aimed punches in his direction.

Tsuna could only watch in fear and bewilderment as his only support kept at it. And yes, Gokudera was almost at his limit. Although he was a skilled fighter, he had been fighting for two hours, with no way to escape. And the moment he stopped fighting, the moment he stopped defending himself and gave into the fatigue, the students would...

"Augh!" One of the students had found a knife-god knows where the boy got that rusty thing-and stabbed him in the neck. Almost immediately, Gokudera fell to the ground. He wasn't expecting such an attack, but now that he received it, the fatigue took over him like sleep to an infant. He tried desperately, _desperately_ to get up, to fight, but his legs wouldn't have it. He hung his head as the students started to beat on him, spitting, kicking, punching, scratching, digging, doing anything and everything to bring him pain. Tsuna wanted to help, he really did. But remembering the pain from his own beatings, he froze. Solid. Right when Tsuna froze, one of the students grabbed a desk and held it over his head. He was going to throw it at Gokudera and knock him unconscious.

It was then that, without thinking, Tsuna lurched in and tried to save him.

"NO!"

He threw himself into to room, and into Gokudera as the desk came barreling his way and hit his arm. As hard as he could, he tried to contain the pain of the attack, but in the end, the pain shot up his arm and he screamed.

Loud.

* * *

Reborn was sitting calmly in his section of the chair, observing these people called his co-workers, and watched as they joked around. They were off duty, and because of that, they decided to meet up at their formal workplace and relax. But the hitman didn't want to do that. He didn't want to be apart of their fun and games; he simply wanted to work. But SAGP didn't assign any work to him, and there was nothing he had to do for his contract-

Oh. Speak of the devil.

"Whose device is beeping like that," a young boy whined. "It's annoying."

"I think it's Reborn," another person said, folding their ***** arms carefully and glaring at him.

"Isn't that your contracte calling from a distress signal?" The man nodded, looking down at his watch that flashed black and yellow on it's screen. Without another word, he grabbed his gun, Leon, and started out the door.

"You'd better hurry up," the same person said, their glare intensifying. "It'll be bad for business if someone-"

"You don't need to tell me twice, Rain," he interrupted lowly, his obsidian eyes narrowing on her. It was scary when Reborn stared at you, much less glared at you. The rest of them felt slightly bad for her, but it was also kind of her fault. Reborn _has_ been moody lately, which is why everyone left him alone.

"And stop calling me by my name. You don't know who is listening." That proved to be truer than all of them wanted to admit, and so they simply stayed quiet as he walked out of their common room and outside.

When outside, he immediately called Dino, who was there in less than a minute. It was always funny to the hitman how Dino always seemed to arrive right when he needed him.

"Where are we going," Dino asked as he issued Romario to drive.

"Namimori Middle." The blond man gasped, and quickly asked Romario to pick up the pace.

"What happened?"

"My contractor is sending me a distress signal," he replied as a form of an answer. It didn't tell the man much, but he knew that something bad happened enough for Reborn to want to drive there straight instead of running on foot.

"When they do that," he continued, impatiently rubbing one of his sideburns, "that means that their life is in danger. I can't let his life be in danger, not when my role in his life isn't finished."

Dino only hummed in response as Romario speedily entered the school grounds, and parked his car right in front of the entrance of the school.

"Thanks. I might need you later, so-"

"It's fine; get going." Quickly, Reborn walked inside of the building, and immediately spotting the now drying trail of blood, started to walk even faster, now moving into a fast walking pace. He stretched his ears to hear any sound, any sound whatsoever, and hearing a child's distressed cries, started to quickly jog to that location.

Suddenly becoming quiet, Reborn quickly studied the situation; there were about twenty two kids in the grand space of the classroom, and two kids in the middle...no...was that _Gokudera_? And the person on top of him...there was no way...

All of a sudden, the words that Tsuna, Dino's strangest fascination, said came into his head.

 _"One of my classmates named Gokudera helps me out a lot..."_ And just like that, the situation between those two made sense. Tsuna was on top of the boy, sheltering him from all the attacks the other students. His arm, from the look of it, was shattered. At least, the bones in the inside were. But Tsuna was protecting Gokudera from the attacks.

Because he wanted to thank him.

"I might just owe this kid one," Reborn growled as he pushed open the door. And like a performance, all eyes turned to him.

* * *

After Tsuna defended Gokudera from the harsh desk attack, the silverette's malachite eyes shot up to his pained expression.

"What the fuck are you _doing_ here, Sawada?" Tsuna wanted to answer him; he really did, but the pain inflicted from the attack prevented him to do so. He could only flicker his eyes briefly at his classmate, and laugh bitterly. What _was_ he doing there? Why _didn't_ he run away like he used to? What was wrong with him?

But he didn't even have a chance to breath and retaliate because the students, who were shell-shocked at Tsuna's appearance, started to giggle before throwing their heads back and laughing hard.

"I-it's No-good Tsuna!" One of them pointed a finger at Tsuna's now very bruised arm. "So it is true when they say that idiots flock together like sheep."At the pun, everyone laughed at them, jeering and spitting and pointing their chubby little fingers in their direction. Some of the students continued to kick and punch at the two, but instead of hurting Gokudera, they hurt Tsuna. And Tsuna, unlike his nickname, did not run away like a coward, but due to his arm, he could not move. So instead, he acted like a barrier and took everything Gokudera would have received.

"What the hell are you doing, idiot? Move out of the way!" But Tsuna only shook his head.

"Why?! I did nothing to deserve-"

"You helped me..." Tsuna winced as a foot kicked him right in the butt, sending him forward, but he moved right back to where he was before.

"What do you mean, I 'helped you'?"

"You..." Tsuna started, and then gasped for another breath when a foot hit the arm that was most likely broken, "always told me when my classmates hid my desk; you always made excuses for when I was late...and..." He coughed up saliva, which hit the cheek of the other boy, who didn't care in the slightest.

"You were always honest. You...were one of the few who never lied to me. I...always wanted to thank you...but..." He gasped again as a fist smacked his thigh.

"I...never got the chance...to..." He coughed again, this time a bit of blood, as someone punched his back very hard. Tsuna felt like he was about to pass out-but he couldn't. No, if he passed out, he would leave Gokudera vulnerable to the students in this horrible, biased school. No, he would stay conscious, stay awake until they were done or until someone-

_Srrk!_

The door swung open with a slick sound, and everything went silent. All of the students, Tsuna and Gokudera included, looked towards the door, towards the new person who was the new player in this sick game. And only two people knew who he was.

"Reborn..." Said man looked _very_ angry, like he was about to shoot someone at that very second, and ironically, he did. In less than five seconds did he shoot everyone in the room excluding Tsuna and Gokudera, who watched him wide-eyed as he started using everyone for target practice. The constant _boom_ sound could be heard as Reborn did of pattern of shooting everyone in the leg, or in the arm.

Leg, arm, leg, leg, arm, leg, arm, arm, arm, leg, leg...

Once he was done, everyone fell over in pain as blood started to pool on the floors. He didn't demand everyone to leave; instead, he roughly asked Tsuna:

"Can you walk?" The boy nodded weakly as he stumbled his way up, glancing at the bag of thumbtacks he had left in the hallways beside the door. He then turned his sight back onto Reborn, who was about to pick up Gokudera when he objected.

"Carry Sawada, not me. I can walk-"

"But Tsuna isn't my contracte, you are. My first priority is you above all else." As he said this, he spared a glimpse as Tsuna, who was wobbling his way out the door. Feeling guilt pang his stomach, he changed his mind and called him back.

"Tsuna." The brunette stopped, and turned back to him weakly. His face was pale, and his legs were shaking, almost as if he was going to faint any second. But that made sense. He was the one who took Gokudera's beating.

Briskly, he walked up to the boy, and in one motion, picked him up and adjusted him on his back. He was about to tell the boy to hold onto him when he noticed that one of his arms was badly discolored.

"What happened to your arm?"

"Oh..." Laughing weakly, he quickly thought up a lie. "I fell down some stairs earlier." He thought, like always, that his lies would work. But it didn't. Not on Reborn, at least.

"Stop lying," he quickly snarled, "and tell me the truth. Last time, I went along with it because Dino was there. This time, I will not. Now, what happened to you?"

There was silence, pardon the taps of Gokudera walking to the door. But the silence broke when Tsuna started to respond quietly.

"...esk..."

"What?"

"I got hit by...a desk..."

"Who did it," Reborn pressured the boy, turning to the crowd of students on the ground. "Point to him."

Now _this_ was the time that Tsuna could get revenge if he wanted to. This was the time that he could tell Reborn the person, and watch as the ruthless man tore that boy to shreds for hurting his contractor and his friend's precious brother. This was that time that if Tsuna wanted to laugh at their incompetence, he could. And loudly too.

But...as he watched the students, the students who bullied him since he was in the first grade, the students who laughed and scorned him arching over in pain, he found that he couldn't do it. He couldn't hurt them like that.

"It's..." His eyes trailed over the perpetrator, the one who threw the desk at him, and watched as he writhed in pain and stared fearfully at him.

"It's-"

"It's him, Reborn-san." Reborn darted his eyes to the student Gokudera pointed to, watching as he started to sweat. And then, almost as if a switch came on, the hitman's face morphed into a sadistic grin, and with Tsuna still on his back, started to saunter his way to the student, like a lion to it's prey.

"So you're the one who hurt my friend's brother." The student sputtered, moving back at a relatively fast pace, that is, until he hit the wall.

"W-what? N-no-good Tsuna never had a-"

"Oh yes, he does," the older man interjected as he pointed his gun. "And he'd do a lot worse than what I'm about to do, so be thankful _I'm_ the one who found this mess."

As he pulled the trigger multiple times, Tsuna knew that he would be hearing those screams at night.

* * *

"He's taking too long," Dino exclaimed as he bounced his foot up and down. "You think Reborn is-?"

"He's the number one hitman of SAGP," Romario reminded him pointedly. "You should know nothing bad will happen."

"I know, but-"

"Look!" Romario jerked his thumb out the window, and Dino followed his gaze to see Reborn and...Tsuna?! But...why Tsuna? Gokudera made sense; he was Reborn's current contracte, after all. But Tsuna...? Why him?

He quickly got out the car and opened the door for the three of them.

"What happened?"

"I'll tell you when we start driving," Reborn replied, looking a bit tired. But then again, why shouldn't he be? Today wasn't the easiest day after all. He glanced at his watch. And to think it's only three in the afternoon...

As the three got in the car, Romario revved the engine and started to drive.

"So. What happened?"

"I don't know the full story," the hitman stated as he glanced at a now unconscious Tsuna and a very tired Gokudera. "But I can tell you what I saw. I saw my contracte on the floor, coated with sweat, and Tsuna hanging over him like a barrier. I saw an unusual amount of kids surrounding them, punching and kicking at your friend. Apparently, Tsuna wanted to protect my contracte as a 'thank you' for always helping him. This got him bruises, cuts, and a very questionably shattered arm." The blond gasped as he looked back, observing his cuts and bruises, and yes, a terribly swollen and discolored arm. It wasn't just one part; no, that would be too easy. His whole arm was discolored, from the very shoulder down.

"And...?"

"I got in there and shot them up."

"What! You didn't-"

"No, I didn't kill them, if that's what you're about to say," the man cut in. "But I did put someone right close to it. I shot him up a few times because he was the one who bruised your friend's arm there." Dino could only breathe out a sigh of relief. If Reborn killed someone due to his anger, that would cause problems. Big problems.

"And you didn't like Tsuna."

"Of course I didn't. The way you made him sound was like this angel who was God-sent and could do no harm. You and I know that _no one_ is like that. However..." He stretched across Gokudera, who now slept peacefully, to touch Tsuna's hair and ruffle it.

"This kid definitely is noble, I'll give him that." He smiled warmly at the boy for the first time;it was too bad Tsuna wasn't awake to see it.

It was quiet for a while, besides Tsuna and Gokudera's snoring of course, but it was peacefully quiet, a melody of silence that Reborn often took solace in.

And then Dino just had to ruin it by saying something.

"You need to fix that paranoid personality you have," Dino commented sagely as they neared the Namimori Hospital. The hitman cringed, fighting the urge viciously to say something harsh.

"Shut it. I told you my reasons for not liking him at first. The questions I provided him were easy and predictable. Besides, you wouldn't have let him take the 'test' if you knew he would fail. Sometimes, I think you're worse than his actual brother."

"Oh, no, I'm not. He's way too overprotective-"

"As you are."

Silence.

"...We need to get them inside as soon as possible." He diverged form the original argument, and walah, it worked.

"Hn. I'll put them in the emergency section. You do what you have to do." The blond nodded, jerking his head once before he started to leave. Before he did, he turned back to the hitman, who was carrying both both boys like a sack of flour.

"Reborn?" Said man turned briefly to meet his eyes, wondering what else Dino had wanted. But it wasn't that Dino had wanted anything, it was more like he wanted to say something.

"Thank you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/R: BAD ENDING! I am so, so sorry! I wanted to make the ending more like "BOOM" and "BAM!" and "CHICKA-CHICKA-" okay, you get it. But seriously, hope you guys enjoyed this one, because this is the last chapter for quite a while. I might make a quick one-shot once in a while, maybe over the weekends or something, but now it's EDUCATION, BABY!~
> 
> *Oh wait, wait, wait...'their'..okay. I put their instead of him or he/she because of the fact I wanted to make the person's gender unknown. I know it's generally grammatically incorrect, but let me have my fun. You learned a lot from this chapter, didn't you?
> 
> Edit: I hate you too, Mr. Edit. I visited you THREE times and-
> 
> Please give me some feedback to eat when I come back. *Smiles*


	5. Decisions PT I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As someone said, not everyone looks at the author's profile page, and so some of you might not have noticed when I said that I would be putting this story on hiatus. I have also decided not to make anymore stories until I was done with either this or Body Parts.

Hot.

It was _so_ bloody hot. It felt as though the Sun's rays were shining on him through the many of clothes that sheltered his body. It was painful...so bloody painful. Tsuna thought this was hell-or something close to it anyways. That would explain the freakishly uncomfortable shrieks of throbbing agony on his right arm, and the sweat that he felt jogging down his plump cheekbones. It would also explain the aches in his fingertips, and the numbness about his eyes. He tried to open his eyes, but it felt as though two large, bulky chunks of metal were resting on his delicate lids. For a while, Tsuna started to panic-there was no light, no air, nothing to feel, and to him, there were no warm bodies there.

Or so he initially thought.

He sensed that someone was adjacent to him, and then sensed that there was a person across from him. The person next to him was a man-a familiar man, no doubt-and the person across from him was a young woman.

"His condition is fine," the young boy heard the foreign feminine voice announce, "but his the bones in his arm are completely shattered. There is also a ligament torn around here." He heard as her feet smoothly tapped its way to his side. After a while, the brunette felt as a cool hand gently lifted up his arm and moved it from side to side. Although she was gentle in the way that she moved his arm, it still hurt, and the boy had to fight down a hiss from escaping.

"It will take him a while to heal," she continued, placing it down where it originally was. She took a chance and glanced at him hopefully.

"I would suggest that he would stay in the hospital for a few months..."

The man took in the woman's hopeful look, and with a shake of his head, he shot it down like game in the wild fields. "I am really sorry, but he can't do that," the man next to him replied. "His mother should really be the judge of that, and I know that she would want her son to stay close to her at all times, especially when he is hurt like this."

There was silence in the room; that is, except for Tsuna's unsteady breathing. The boy tried not to make it obvious that he was awake, but to him, he was failing miserably. After a moment's worth of hesitation, the feminine voice, who Tsuna now knew was his nurse, began to speak again.

"If I may be blunt," the feminine voice tried again, coughing softly, "I believe that he should stay in the hospital _because_ of the condition his arm is in. He won't be able to move it while he is outside, and if he puts any unnecessary strain on it, it will take longer to heal. I do understand that the mother of this child would prefer it if her son was next to her, but staying in the hospital is what is best for his _health_." Glancing at the brunette for a second more, she mumbled, "Surely you understand..."

"I do understand what you mean, Ma'am, but I cannot in good conscious keep him here when it is not my place to do so," the familiar voice countered. "As his mother is not available at this time, it is best that he stays with someone that he is familiar with. I do not wish anything to become of him."

"And so you believe that it would be safest for him to stay in this _temporary_ healing room until whenever his mother returns?"

"I do," he replied, catching the somewhat impatient tone in her voice. His eyes flickered over to Tsuna, watching as the boy's chest rose and fell, and then his eyes flickered back to the nurse, who was also watching the boy.

"Her mother would understand that her son should stay in the hospital when he is hurt." Her gaze returned back to the man. "Please. You are his only other listed guardian besides his mother...please reconsider." Without any other pressing words, the nurse walked away from the boy, the man, and the room. And just like when he was sleeping, Tsuna heard nothing but silence.

"Are you awake, Tsunayoshi-kun?" The boy's eyes opened slightly, as he still felt the weight on his eyes pressing down on his lids. He turned his head to the man who he identified as Dino, and nodded. It was a jerky nod, a nod that really meant that he was in pain and immobile at the same time, but it was still a nod.

"I know that you hate hospitals," Dino continued as he bent down on the bed and put his arms on the child's legs. The bed dipped slightly from the weight that his torso and arms placed on it. With a smile, he gazed into the young man's burnt sienna eyes. "I told them that your mother wouldn't have allowed it. But if you want to stay here-"

"No, it's fine," Tsuna interrupted softly. "I am sure that Mom would want me to stay by her side anyways. I would rather stay by her side than stay a night in the hospital any day. There is no other choice...right?"

"Well..." The older man coughed, and then he coughed again, almost as if he were trying to disguise a laugh. "You do have another choice... and that choice...it was provided by Gokudera-kun."

Almost as if a light bulb switched in his head, Tsuna completely woke up, aroused by the name and person he saw not too long ago. He didn't know if it was still Sunday, because the morning was lighter than he remembered it to be, but he knew he definitely saw him no more than a week ago. With his uninjured hand, Tsuna grabbed onto Dino's shirt with a slightly frantic expression on his face.

"How...how is Gokudera-kun?"

"He is fine. He actually left the hospital yesterday. He only had minor bruises, and so they made him stay one day before they released him. With you, it is not so simple. Your whole arm is pretty much useless for a while. The nurse that was in here wanted to give you up and including eight months to recover, but I insisted against it."

"That..that's good." The child didn't care so much that he was hurt-he didn't even care about the nurse's plea for him to stay-all he cared about was Gokudera's condition. Because he was fine, Tsuna felt as though he was fine also. He felt as though he finally did something right: he protected a person that mattered to him.

"What's the option that Gokudera-kun gave me?"

Dino hesitated for a moment, taking in what the boy just relayed to him. With a frown, Dino informed him of another doctor that could help him-a doctor much better than the ones at the public hospital. His name was Shamal, and he was a very talented doctor who was, as he called it, a "King of All Chairs". He would be able to fix his arm, and it would take a much shorter time for his arm to completely heal. The only condition was that he had to stay at home for most of the time.

"What do you think about that? Do you want to try that instead?" Dino glanced at Tsuna to see what his reaction would be. He expected a smile. He expected a laugh. He even expected him to be a little excited about the fact that he didn't have to stay in the place that haunted him the most. What he didn't expect, though...

...were tears.

* * *

"Why was he crying?"

"I don't know," Dino mumbled as he leaned back into the couch, feeling as the soft leather around him sucked his blood dry. He sighed in contentment as all of the stress and pressure in his muscles dissipated in thin air. Leaning back with a grimace, he shot a glance at Reborn. The man returned his glance with a bored expression on his face. His fedora was lying lazily on the desk, and the hair that was normally shoved under his hat instead freely spiked out. He used his index finger and curled a piece of hair-no, a side burn-around it.

"I am almost positive that it has to do with Gokudera-kun, though."

"Of course it does," Reborn replied slowly. "With the few times I have met him, I get the impression that Tsuna is an altruistic person. If someone hurts him, he won't mind at all. In fact, in some cases, he might accept the abuse. But if someone does something for him, _then_ he will break down." With a small smirk on his face, he teased the younger man.

"I think it might run in the family, actually." Dino sputtered indignantly before he pursed his lips. The both of them knew that although Dino was not his brother, his father, or even remotely related to Tsuna's family, he had been taking care of Tsuna for so long that he was actually considered family. And that, in all honesty, was the height of ironies.*

"You're not helping me, Reborn." Said man sighed as he jerked in his pocket. He was about to pull out a nicotine stick (which seems to be a terrible habit of his nowadays) and take a smoke, but when he flickered his eyes towards the younger man for approval, he noticed that Dino's expression was one of discomfort. He thought twice before he finally sucked his teeth and got up.

"What do you want me to say, Dino? There is nothing to say. I can't encourage the kid because no matter what I say, he'll only listen to _you_."

"Then give me a suggestion," Dino responded with a helpless tone in his voice. He was smiling as he usually would do, but his smile was a simple facade for the nervousness in his eyes."I know that you can be quite cynical at times, but even you have something good to say once in a while."

"You're very rude. Did I ever tell you that?"

"I am only telling the truth, Reborn. So, anything? Any ideas?" The hitman walked towards a small coffee bag that was resting on a small and round table. He picked up the bag, ripped open the plastic that sealed the package, and stuck his finger inside. A few grains stuck on his hand, and he sniffed the grains for a second before he moved even further into the other man's kitchen for a spoon.

"If the kid is happy that Gokudera was nice enough to give him a circumvention to staying in the hospital-"

"Tsunayoshi-kun _helped_ your contracte," Dino interrupted with an unreadable expression on his face. "You do understand that, right?"

"-then Tsuna should just visit his house and confront him on it," Reborn finished, ignoring the other man's outburst. Dino frowned as he listened to his employee's suggestion.

"How do we even know if Gokudera-kun will agree to this?"

"Oh, he will." At this time, Reborn began to pour the rich and bitter coffee beans into the machine. He clicked a button before returning his attention to his old friend. "If he doesn't, then I can always force him using the contract. I do have five more 'wishes' that I can ask of him, after all."

"You shouldn't use those wishes so frivolously. After those 'wishes' are done, you are obligated to-"

"Yes, I know. But if you're so worried about Tsuna, then it's fine. I won't use the other four wishes for anything else, so you don't have to worry." Once the older man heard a beeping sound from the machine behind him, he took the cup from the machine holder and began to drink it. His lips licked the edge of the Styrofoam cup that was in his hands before he sipped the bitter drink once more.

"If you don't regret it, then..."

"I won't. Now go tell Tsuna that he'll be visiting Gokudera...unless you thought of something better?"

* * *

For the last few hours, Tsuna tossed and turned in his bed. His mother, who was still working at her job, ordered the boy to stay in bed until she arrived. When she heard what happened, she did everything short of screaming.

_"Tsu-kun, if you need anything, ask me now before I go to work. I really, really want to take care of you, but this is the first (good) paying job I have received in a while. No, no, don't get out of bed! NO! I told you if you need anything, ask me. Do you want Dino-san to come over? Of course I will worry, Tsu-kun. You're my only child..."_

She wouldn't let Tsuna even turn over. Hell, Nana even brought a bucket for the boy to piss in, _just_ so he won't get out of bed. He was slightly miffed at her attitude, but he knew that she was worried. He would be worried for himself, too, but...

He was used to it. The beatings. The pain. The screaming. He was lucky they hadn't raped him yet...though he knew that there would be a sick bastard that would try. They did everything short of it so far: they threatened him and his family, hurt his friends, broke his arm, broke his fingers (a while back), placed glue in his binders and folders, threw his desk outside of a window for it to hit a teacher, threw his desk in the gymnasium...must he continue?

A short rap on his door interrupted the teenager from his dark thoughts. He croaked a response before Dino came in with a pack of bandages for his arm along with a small cup of water.

"You look like you could use the fluids," Dino explained as he handed the boy the cup. "As for the bandages, I am going to change them." The boy smiled, waving a hand across the room, almost as if he were trying to apologize for the inconvenience.

"Thank you very much, Dino-san."

"It's not a problem..." The blond man hesitated before he softly asked Tsuna:

"What do you think about going to Gokudera-kun?" The boy tilted his head to the side, and puzzlement replaced the blank expression on his face.

"I don't think I understand..."

"His house," he clarified as he finished re-wrapping the bandages back on his arm. "How do you feel about going to his house...to talk about the whole doctor thing? Gokudera has already approved if you decided to say yes."

Tsuna thought for a while before he gave his consent. He liked Gokudera, that was for sure. And if Gokudera said that he could come over, then he would. He would give his thanks for his kindness and maybe even gain a friend while he was at it...

It took the two all of ten minutes to get to the boy's house. Reborn was already there, a smirk evident on his face, and Gokudera a little ways back. The half-Italian boy's face was tainted with a streak of blush, and Tsuna wondered if he interrupted something. But judging by the way Dino casually walked inside without any caution at all, Tsuna figured that it was nothing to be worried about.

As Reborn and Dino left the room, the tension between Tsuna and Gokudera increased dramatically. The silver-headed boy only coughed as he spared a glance at Tsuna. He wasn't too comfortable with the situation, especially since he didn't want to make direct contact with the boy. If anything, he simply wanted to help him in the shadows. It wasn't even like he did it because he liked him. It was out of pity, and nothing but _pity_.

At least, that is what he thought.

"So...um...thank you. For everything."

"W-what are you thanking me for? I should be thanking you, Sawada."

"No, but the doctor...I am sure that he was a lot of money." The other student gave a disdainful snort as he started to fish his pockets for a cigarette. When he found what he was looking for, his eyes lit up and he pulled out a nicotine stick.

"You've got a lighter, Sawada?"

"...no." Tsuna desperately wanted to tell this man that smoking _really_ wasn't good for his health, especially at his age, but he knew that the silver-headed boy would simply ignore him. In all of the years that Tsunayoshi was with Gokudera, this is the only time-besides Sunday-that he talked to the man one-on-one. For the last few months, Gokudera hasn't really associated with him much.

"Shamal will think of this as a favor. If I hook him up or something, he won't have a problem with it at all."

"Oh..." Sniffling softly, Tsuna asked the boy:

"Are Shamal-san and you...related?"

"You could say that," Gokudera choked out. He didn't seem too comfortable with the topic. His eyes averted to anywhere but on the brunette's face, and he began to grind his teeth on the cigarette. Bits and pieces of burnt particles fell to the floor, and the whole room began to smell of nothing but nicotine.

"Gokudera-kun? Can I ask you a question?""

"Depends. What's the question?" Tsuna shifted in his seat, flickering his eyes between the boy right in front of him and the floor that acted as a barrier between the two. He didn't say anything for a while, and Gokudera's patience level began to decrease rapidly. After five minutes, he was frustrated, and as such, he began to yell.

"Sawada, what's the big deal of asking me a question? You _do_ have something that you want to say, yes?"

"O-of course! But I know...that you probably won't like the question-"

"Why don't you stop assuming," the contracte snapped, "and ask me the fucking question already. I won't tell you again, and I will not repeat myself. Go on, Sawada, ask me."

"Alright, then...can...c-can we become friends? I really like you Gokudera-kun. You're really nice, although you get mad at me sometimes. A-and...you really helped me out a lot-" Gokudera interrupted him before Tsuna could say anything more. The silver-haired man had a snare on his face, and his eyebrows were knitted together. He raked Tsuna's body up and down with his turquoise pearls.

"Hell no am I being your friend. The only reason why I helped you out was because you looked fucking _pathetic_. You don't even defend yourself when they beat you up. It's a wonder why no one ever helps you with the way that you act." He snapped two of his fingers together, and on the tip of his finger was a small blue flame. With the flame, he lit the tip of his cigarette.

"No offense to you, Sawada, but I would prefer if you left me alone. I don't want to have anything to do with you anymore. Shamal will take you regardless of our relationship. Think of it as payment for what you did for me...Sunday."

* * *

_"...Think of it as payment...for Sunday..."_

_I did that for him that day_ , Tsuna thought as he emptied his locker that was, once again, filled to the brim with needles and thumbtacks, _because he was the only one who was so kind to me. It wasn't because I wanted to be paid back or anything. And if he did want to pay me back..._

He walked up the stairs slowly, covering his broken arm with a jacket that Dino gave him. No one talked to him. No one looked at him. Hell, no one did so much as even spare him a glance. The students in his grade-besides a sweet girl named Kyoko, Hana, and a quiet girl named Chrome-pretended that he wasn't even there. He didn't know which was worse: to have negative attention or to be ignored entirely.

_...he could have became my friend. I wouldn't have asked him for anything. I wouldn't have burdened him. Even if he was...ashamed of me, and he only wanted to see me in certain places, I would have listened to him. But instead..._

_"...I would prefer if you left me alone..."_

"It was when I finally thought I made a friend," the brunette murmured as he opened up his classroom. The classroom was full to capacity. The clicks were together, forming many small circles, and then there were the bonded friends, the ones that traveled in packs of two and three. Gokudera was next to Chrome and another boy-maybe he was a new student?-and Kyoko was with Hana as usual. And as usual...

Tsuna was the only one by himself.

But this was fine. Staying by himself was fine. Before all of this happened, he would simply listen to the conversations that the other groups had. That was how he heard about the...Arcobalerno Organization. And the site...and the number...he could call in at any time of the morning and night, and according to what he heard, a representative would always tend to his needs, may it be big or small.

He sat in his chair and leaned forward, glad for the chatter in the class. Most of the times, Tsuna could concentrate in silence. But this was one of those times that he could concentrate in the eye of chaos. He placed his head on the desk, waiting for class to begin, but a certain conversation caught his attention. With interest, Tsuna leaned his head to the side where five girls were talking. With mild surprise, he noticed that it was the same group of girls that he was eavesdropping the last time.

"...so it ended?"

"Yeah. My cousin's wish was fulfilled, and the man from the military got his wish as well. Apparently, though, she had a crush on him midway into the contract."

"There's a contract?"

"Yep. Although I don't know everything, I know something. During the time of the contract, there is something called a 'binder' and a 'contracte'. The contracte is the person who signed the contract, and the binder is the person who gives the contract. Technically, the binder is under more restrictions than the contracte."

"Oh...so what's the contract itself?"

"Are you not supposed to fall in love with this binder," another girl asked excitedly.

"Um, I don't think so. My sister did, and...well...it was...horrible."

There was silence between all five of the girls, but the noise that surrounded them drowned out the melody of nothing.

"What do you mean, horrible?"

"It isn't exactly horrible, I guess, but...the thing is...she can't remember anything about the time she had during the contract. She remembers that she had been through a contract, and she remembers who her binder was, but...she can't remember anything else about it. I think that falling in love with a binder is t.a.b.o.o."

"Oh, but why? Wouldn't it be nice to have a hot lover who can grant your wishes?"

"See, that's the thing." The girl who bleached her hair scratched at her cheek absentmindedly. "There are millions to billions of people in the world, and there are only seven people who can grant their wish. Even if the seven only attend to a thousand people, that is still a large amount of people to cater to, especially since there is only seven of them. In any case, in order to be unbiased, in order to treat everyone fairly, they can't have a personal relationship with _anyone_. The moment they do is the moment that their system of impartiality is destroyed."

Tsuna wanted to hear more about this...more about the contract. The other girl who asked the bleached-hair girl was ignored. In one part of his mind, Tsuna found it convenient that she didn't say anything. But in the other, Tsuna knew that the girl could have...legitimately not have known about the details of that part of the contract.

It was at that time, however, that class began. Tsuna found himself oddly thinking about the whole idea. Should he really depend on this...shady organization to save him? Should he really pay 10,000 yen just to release himself from the pain and suffering? Should he really give his life away for the single friend or two that the organization might arrange for him? Should he really thrust not only his life, but possibly his mother's life, into the hands of a bunch of strangers who may or may not have his best interest in mind?

He wasn't sure. But as his arm began to throb and his lips began to dry, he considered the option of the whole "wish contract" quite carefully. His mother always told him to do what was best in his own sight, especially after she found out _how_ he hurt himself.

_"It doesn't matter. Don't worry about me, Tsu-chan," Nana comforted him as she smoothed our his unruly hair. "If you believe that this is the way to go, then I will fully support you, and so will Dino-san. You don't have to worry about a thing. Just pick what you think is right in your own sight."_

_If anything else happens today,_ Tsuna decided, _and if I get hurt-or worse, someone else like Gokudera-kun gets hurt-then I...I'll investigate it. I will have to take matters into my own hands. If I don't, it will keep on getting worse until I die. And I...I am so afraid of dying...  
_


	6. Decisions (II)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/R: Please look at my Tumblr account, Pain in My Arse, which should be linked to my FF profile. It has updates that I most likely will be putting up, and any new projects that I might have, it will be there. I am also thinking of making a Tsubasa RESERvoir Chronicles fanfiction. It might be a long one-shot' it might be a multi-chapter. But just in case I do not update, then this might be a reason why. I also should be putting up an explanation chapter for Insignificant. If there are any questions, I will place that in the explanation chapter on the bottom. You never know; a question one might have might be a question everyone might have. :D
> 
> Disclaimer: I...don't...you know what? Screw this.
> 
> Warnings for this story: language, violence, limes (Le gasp! On a T+ fanfic?! The GALL of me...), slash, Giotto & Hibari (they're a warning of their own...)  
> Warnings for this chapter: language, gore, possible OOC

The only thing that alerted Tsuna of the ending of class was a piercing sound that thundered in his head.

With a jerk, the middle school student looked around. Students were already packing their bags to leave, and the different cliques of the class had began to form. The sweet sound of silence was ripped into pieces before the roaring noise of chatter had began to fill his ears. Almost like water, the chaotic sound baptized his eardrums and muffled the rest of the world out. For a moment, Tsuna couldn't hear.

For a moment, Tsuna couldn't breathe.

The boy took a deep breath and sighed. He wasn't underwater. He was in a classroom with students. It was nothing to freight over. There was nothing to worry about. With that thought, Tsuna began to pack. It made no sense to stick around when there was no one to talk to. Almost mechanically, the brunette packed his books and his school paraphernalia into his worn-out bag. Within time, the dozens and dozens of books began to build up weight, and with a huff of breath, Tsuna slung the backpack over his 'good' shoulder and quietly walked out of the classroom.

He maneuvered his body around the hundreds of students in the hallways. Some pushed, some pulled, some kicked, and some stepped on him, but he was used to it all. It wasn't like this was the first time that this has occurred. Even if it were, it wasn't like he could do anything about it.

Tsuna was about twenty feet from his locker when he heard a familiar voice call out to him.

"Hey, Sawada." No, it wasn't a call, per se; it was more of a _hiss_ than anything. Despite the fear that was building in his heart, despite the sinking feeling that buried itself deep into the core of his bosom, Tsuna tensed up his shoulders and slowly turned around. If it was a bully, so be it. But what if...what if it was Gokudera? The chances are slim, especially after what he had said last night...

_"...I would prefer if you left me alone..."_

But still, a one percent chance was greater than none. With that thought running through his mind and giving him the push to keep on turning, he faced the student who called out to him.

The first thing that Tsuna spotted as he quickly glanced up was a long, smooth patch of silver hair.

_Gokudera._

"What's wrong, Gokudera-kun?" The silverette didn't say anything. His face was blank. His hands were slack. There was nothing that was indicating that the boy was angry at him...or had any sort of emotion towards him at the moment. For a brief second, Tsuna faltered. His eyes became wide and his tongue automatically began to swipe at his bottom lip constantly. This was different than how he had looked last night. This is different than how he had looked the first time they met.

It is different...and different can sometimes be threatening.

Gokudera quickly walked over to Tsuna and forcibly opened his hand. After the silverette does so, he forcibly closed Tsuna's hand and roughly pushed him into the crowd of people. With a gasp, the younger boy tried to adjust to the sudden change of pace. Within seconds, Tsuna balanced himself and reading the piece of neatly, folded, white paper. There were a series of numbers of the top of the paper, and on the bottom...

A single address.

"Is this...?" Surprised, Tsuna glanced back at where Gokudera was supposed to be, but the silver-headed boy was not there. Almost as if he were a ghost, his presence was completely gone. Although Tsuna couldn't see him anymore, he smiled. Happily, he read the words of the bottom of the paper.

_**"...but if necessary, I will come to you."** _

Tucking the small paper in his pocket, Tsuna joyously opened approached his locker. He was so ecstatic and lost in the moment that he didn't register that something was majorly wrong. A putrid, almost rotten stench emitted from the pores of his locker. The male student that was next to him didn't notice it, but a female student that was on the other side of him did. She shot Tsuna a peculiar look, but she took her possessions from her own storage place and began to leave. The brunette excitedly opened his locker. The other student was willing to talk to him, to allow Tsuna to come over to his house.

But the moment that Tsuna opened his locker was the moment when hell broke loose.

The girl that was next to him took a whiff of the rotten smell, and cautiously looked over. In milliseconds did she scream as loud as she could. Tsuna jerked at her scared voice and looked into the locker himself. He still hadn't looked into it yet, but sensing that something was terribly wrong, he spared a glance himself.

And inhaled a sharp gasp.

* * *

Gokudera wasn't one who would beat around the bush. If anything, some said that he was too blunt. He would speak his mind when it wasn't needed, and when it was needed, he would purposely keep silent as to irritate the other party. That, when it came to others, was his modus operand. But when it came to that lone brunette boy, that innocent, altruistic, thirteen year old boy...

He couldn't. He couldn't hold his usual attitude. He couldn't say what was on his mind. He couldn't...just...leave the kid alone. He couldn't do it, especially since he knew what it felt like. Solitude, that was.

During the first and last period of the day, Gokudera had stayed with some of the girls in his class as well as a new boy in school: Yamamoto Takeshi. He was a baseball fanatic, and to the common person, he was nothing more than a normal jock-one who never did well in school and only concentrated on his sports. But Yamamoto wasn't like that. In fact, he seemed to have some deep insight regarding several things. Irritatingly enough, though, the auburn-eyed man would always hide anything meaningful behind a flippant and easy smile.

_A mask._

That was what irritated Gokudera about the baseball-fanatic when they had first met. Because he had found the other student annoying and irritating, Gokudera had tried to remove himself of the problem. Although he tried to extricate himself from the other student, Yamamoto found mysterious ways to keep hanging with him. It was bothersome. It was infuriating. It was extremely frustrating. But...it helped him figure out how to deal with Tsunayoshi.

The two had talked just last period, and while they were, Gokudera found himself helplessly glancing at the boy who helped him a while ago. Just a few days ago did Tsuna sacrifice a limb to keep Gokudera safe. Just a few days ago did he take in all of the pain, suffering, and curses Gokudera would have received. Never mind the fact that Gokudera came to the school for Tsuna's sake, Tsuna had done way more for him than he had done for the boy. When Yamamoto caught on to the glances that the silver-headed student had cast at a lone wolf near the front of the room, he questioned Gokudera about it. This is how their discussion of the awkward relationship of Tsuna and him had started.

 _"You're afraid to change your ways."_ That was what Yamamoto had said, and within seconds had Gokudera denied it.

_"I'm not."_

_"You are, Gokudera. Its not that you're not afraid to reach your hand out to Tsuna. You're afraid to change. You believe that your personality, your life, and your very being will shatter if you act differently than before. That's what I get from your explanation. And if you don't mind, let me tell you..."_

The note was the simplest and easiest way to start caring for him. He wouldn't talk to him in school; he knew that it would be harder for Tsuna if he did. But he could find other ways of communicating. Determined, Gokudera had nodded to himself before ripping a spare piece of paper from his sketchbook and wrote down his information on the paper. Remembering his words from the other night, he wrote the rest of what he had wanted to say to Tsuna that night.

" _I would prefer if you left me alone, **but if necessary, I will come to you**_." Hopefully, Tsuna would get the hint of what Gokudera was trying to say. If not, then Tsuna could give him a call, and...

But what if Tsuna didn't take the letter? What if he threw it out? What if Tsuna was upset at Gokudera for how he treated the brunette just a while ago?

No, Tsuna wouldn't do that. He was too kind.

Gokudera watched in the shadows as students casually walked out of the classroom, almost as if they owned the place. And then there was Tsuna. Tsuna's shoulders were slumped over, almost as if he had a ton of weight on his shoulders, and his eyes were cast down. The bruised arm that was once in a slink hung loosely from his body. Before his mind could even comprehend and approve his actions, his mouth opened.

"Hey, Sawada." He saw how the boy tensed up, and immediately felt shame wash through his body. A shiver of irritation ran down his spine, but he swallowed the emotions as the boy slowly turned around, almost as if his body was coated in molasses. It was almost shyly that the boy flickered his eyes upward, but when he did, surprise morphed onto his face.

"What's wrong, Gokudera-kun?" Fear. Happiness. Sadness. His voice was monotonous, but his bright hazel eyes reflected all of these emotions...and more. It was, to say the least, overwhelming. But Gokudera found himself quietly doing nothing but taking everything in. His mind was blank; the only thing that occupied his brain was Tsuna's expression. Tsuna's being. What Tsuna was doing.

Fear. What did Tsuna fear?

Happiness. Was Tsuna really so happy to see him?

Sadness. What was it that disheartened the boy?

Swallowing heavily, Gokudera quickly made his way over to the boy. In three succinct movements, he had pushed the paper into the other boy's hand, and pushed him into the crowd of bustling students. Tsuna gasped for a moment, but he regained his balance.

 _Good_ , Gokudera assured himself. _He should be fine now._

Or so he thought.

A few minutes after he released the young boy, a female scream penetrated the area. The silver-haired boy would have ignored it had it not been for the cries of the boy he had just seen.

"I-I didn't do it! Its not mine!"

The half-Italian student spun around, only to see that there was a crowd of students by the locker area. He walked briskly to the bunch of students and began to push them out of his way. He had just left the boy, and now something else happened?

Before he could even see what the source of all the commotion was, a faint odor of rot infiltrated his nostrils. Without even looking at it, he knew it was a dead thing. It could be a dead animal or rotted food, but he knew it was something dead. Being on the streets for such a period of time helped him discern these types of things. Before, he detested it. Now, he appreciated it.

When he had access to the core of the crowd, he saw a female student-one of the bullies, maybe-crying her eyes out to her friends. All of them which surrounded that female student were gawking at Tsuna, who seemed panicked. His eyes were unfocused at times, and when they were tears would build up at the sides of his eyelids. Every other moment, however, he blinked the tears away and continued to explain himself while trying to avoid looking in his locker at all costs.

"I didn't do it! I really didn't. I don't even like dead things!"

"You liar!" The female student who cried in the arms of another glared at him. "You're just trying to cover it up, aren't you?! You didn't want to get in trouble, and so you're trying to lie for it. Well, I can see through your lies, No-Good Tsuna! I am sure that one of the teachers will suspend you once they get wind of what has been sitting in your locker!"

"But I really don't know about that...thing...that's in there! Its not mine!" At last, Gokudera had the sense to look inside of the locker. What was in there that everyone was making such a big fuss over? The turquoise-eyed boy took a second off of the scene to stare at his locker.

Almost immediately did he grimace.

Accompanied by a decapitated squirrel was a rabbit with _its insides open and rotted with maggots festering on it_. Its hair, most likely white, was now red. It was a deep vermillion red. It was the red of bloodshed. The fact that the eyes of the rabbit was gone wasn't too comforting either, but that wasn't what got Gokudera to grimace.

In between the two dead animals was a beating heart. A _beating_ heart. Next to that heart was a large message.

T.S.U.N.A.S.P.R.O.P.E.R.T.Y.

* * *

When Tsuna saw the dead animals and the morbid paraphernalia, he took in a humongous gasp. On the verge of tears, he was ready to pick up the animals and cry. Whoever did this to him knew his obsession with animals and living things in general. This isn't like having a dead bee in his locker or having pins and needles festering around the perimeter of his storage room, this was a litter of dead animals. immediately, bile began to rise from his throat and he sucked in another breath. Who would do this to him? Why? Was it because he was no good?

As accusations began to fly, a larger and larger crowd began to form...

That is, until the teachers began to come.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi! What is the meaning of this?" Tsuna glanced to the left and there was a teacher. As the students cleared a path for the man, the teenager began to analyze the situation. As the female student beside him began to fill his ears with nothing but nonsense, Gokudera snuck up besides the apricot-haired and pulled at the back of his collar.

"What the hell is happening, Sawada?"

"I don't know," he replied. "I didn't realize anything until the student besides me pointed it out, and then I saw the dead things. Its not mine, though. Please believe me, Gokudera-kun." The older student huffed out a breath before he glared at Tsuna.

"When did I ever say I didn't?" Before he could say another word, the teacher turned to the two male students with hatred.

"This young student says that you have been hoarding dead animals in your locker. If that is the case-"

"Its not mine, sir! I do not know where...those animals came from..."

The older teacher scoffed. His timbre was nothing short of mocking as he gazed down at Tsuna. "It is _your_ locker, Sawada, so _you_ must take responsibility of it." He was about to continue until Gokudera graciously interrupted.

"If Sawada says that it is not his, can't you accept that and find a way to help him?"

"This boy has caused way too many problems in this school. With this incident, he is qualified for suspension...and this incident _will_ be notified." It was silent as Tsuna helplessly stared at the teacher. He was going to get suspended. Suspended! That would go on his school records. It would look bad for him in the future...well...if he actually had a future...

"We will find a way." Tsuna felt pressure on his head as Gokudera stepped forward. The silverette's hand was on his head. It was warm and comforting, and the younger boy struggled not to squirm under Gokudera's touch.

"If we can find out who did this, can Sawada escape suspension?" Again, the teacher scoffed.

"That is not likely, but if you are able to do so, the principal and I will take it under consideration." Gokudera nodded as he jerked his head away from the crowd, and to the streets of outside. As it was, Tsuna could not possibly put on his outside shoes when they were covered in nothing but crawling maggots and the guts of animals.

"We're going to solve this," Gokudera announced to him once the two were close to Tsuna's house. Tsuna was surprised. He spared a glance at the taller boy. Gokudera's face was blank like before, but his lips were pulled into a smirk.

"Y-you're going to help me?"

"If that's what you call it. Figure it compensation for that." He jerked his thumb at the well-covered cast on Tsuna's arm. "I'll call up the others, so you can head in first. Reborn-san and the others will join in a few minutes."

As Tsuna weakly nodded and slunk inside of the house, he felt a inkling of happiness that wasn't there before. It, surprisingly enough, was even stronger than the last spurt of happiness from a few minutes ago. He was happier than ever before. Even though there was no reason to be...

"...Tsuna, are you in here?"

As long as he had people who he could talk to, he felt like he could hang on just a little bit longer.

"I am in here," he called out from the living room.

Maybe he won't need to go to draconian measures to change his situation after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/R: No, it is NOT the end...haha...not even close. He still has to solve the mystery of the dead things...and there will be more bullying that will spill Tsuna over the edge...not cool...but it is very much needed.
> 
> Originally, this was supposed to be much longer (I had two and a half pages of bullets left to fulfill), but I cut it down because I am tired. I can do chapter seven tomorrow, and chapter eight will probably be on its way sooner than you think. Just...stick with me, folks, okay?
> 
> I am sorry for the sucky ending. Again, I am tired, but it could be worse. *sigh* Family drama has prevented me from updating faster. It isn't cool when one of your closest family members is stuck in the hospital because of a terminal disease...not cool at all.
> 
> Hope ya enjoyed. And if not, please PM me telling me what I could have done better. I might take you up on it.

**Author's Note:**

> A/R: I had a lot of fun making this chapter. And I hope, from the bottom of my heart, that you had fun reading it.  
> But it's 2:19. Why the hell do I always do this?!
> 
> Oh! Wait! About the 10,000 yen, I looked it up on Google. Every Japanese Yen is .010 US Dollars. So, 10,000 Yen is roughly $100 dollars. That's a lot of money!
> 
> And if I'm wrong, blame it on GOOGLE!
> 
> EDIT: This was originally the fanfic from FF.net. I will be uploading them from it, but if you're interested, look me up on FF or Tumblr. It'll trace you riiight back to the original me.


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